Man held in robbery charged

March 15, 2013

Bail was set at $20,000 for a homeless man who was charged with robbing the Wailea branch of First Hawaiian Bank on Thursday.

Michael Flocco, 33, who is from Pennsylvania, was charged with second-degree robbery at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday after police executed a warrant to search his moped and property. Police reported finding $1,880, including $1,550 that was confirmed to have been stolen in the robbery.

The robbery occurred at 9:01 a.m. when the robber entered the Wailea branch of First Hawaiian Bank at 161 Wailea Iki Place. He approached a teller with a note demanding that money be placed in a paper bag.

Article Photos

Michael Flocco

The robber fled with an undisclosed amount of cash and was seen operating a silver moped that headed west down Wailea Iki Drive.

At 10:30 a.m., Kihei patrol officers checking the Wailea and Makena area located the moped parked fronting the "White Rock" beach area off Old Makena Road near Polo Beach Club. Police located the homeless man matching the description of the robber, who was described as 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-8 with a husky build, police said. Police said the suspect was wearing the same type of clothing as the robber, who was seen wearing a black T-shirt and black surf shorts.

Police said a digital photo of the suspect was compared with bank surveillance tapes and, after detectives conferred with bank employees, the suspect "was positively identified as the same person who robbed the bank."